5 fishermen held in Sundarbans

Five fishermen were arrested by forest guards while fishing in the Adani Gurguria Canal, where fishing is prohibited, in the sanctuary under Shelarchar Patrol Post of Sharankhola Range in the Eastern Sundarbans on Thursday.

Two and a half maunds of fish and two boats with fishing nets were also seized. Forest Ranger Milton Roy, officer-in-charge of Dubla Forest Patrol Outpost in the Eastern Sundarbans, said that acting on a tip-off and on the instructions of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarbans Eastern Forest Division, Bagerhat, a team of forest guards led by Forester Md Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Shelarchar Patrol Post in Sharankhola Range, conducted a drive in the Adani Gurguria Canal.

During the drive, the forest guards saw the fishermen fishing in the prohibited area and arrested the five fishermen. They also seized two boats containing two and a half maunds of fish and fishing nets.

The arrested fishermen are A Salam, 35, of Bektmari village in Paikgachha upazila of Khulna district; Kadam Ali, 40; Zahurul Haque Sardar, 45; Abu Bakkar, 50; and Sohrab Hossain Gazi, 58.

Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarbans Eastern Forest Division, Bagerhat, said the fishermen arrested in the Adani Gurguria Canal of Shelarchar had been fishing in a prohibited canal within the sanctuary in violation of the law.

A case was filed against them under the Forest Act, and the fishermen were sent to the Bagerhat court on Thursday afternoon.